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And we have reached third world there, it being Monster Integration.
***
[Golden Walnut]
Also called the blessing of nature.
It is a snack and remedy enjoyed by all nobles and royalty on the East Continent.
Somewhere on the East Continent, there are creatures whose main food is this walnut.
All stats will rise by 10% for one hour.
In addition, there is a very low probability of permanently increasing one stat by 5 points. The better you shell the walnut, the more likely it is that your stats will permanently increase.
Weight: 0.1]
Alan nodded as he pocketed the full bundle of the walnuts. After completing Edan's quest, he did a few more quests and obtained many items, including these golden walnuts. However, he hadn't eaten them yet and simply stored them away.
As Alan walked through the street, he suddenly noticed that everyone around him had begun to kneel. Confused, he looked around to find the reason.
Alan was surprised because the bustling crowd had suddenly gone silent and sat down. Tens of thousands of people. The lively atmosphere disappeared instantly, replaced by a silence as still as death. It felt unreal.
'Pagma?'
The cause of the sudden silence.
Alan felt goosebumps as he looked toward the center of the street. A group of people had appeared and were walking forward while the crowd bowed their heads.
They wore blue daoist robes and had long black hair tied up. Their appearance was almost identical to the Pagma that he have seen in the Hall of Fame.
'Yangbans....I wonder how good I am compared to them now?'
Alan grinned inwardly while keeping his confused face as he looked at the Yangbans.
The men in robes had elegant and refined appearances. Why did they look so much like Pagma? And why was everyone bowing to them?
Someone suddenly poked Alan's side.
It was an ordinary NPC.
The man kept his head down, his body trembling slightly, as if afraid of being noticed by the robed figures.
"Not bowing before the yangban? Are you crazy? Do you have ten lives?"
"Yangban?"
"The residents of the Hwan Kingdom!"
'The Hwan Kingdom…'
The kingdom that used the White Phosphorus Tree as its national tree.
Alan lowered his head slightly and asked again.
"Is Pangea part of the Hwan Kingdom?"
"Tsk tsk. I should've known you were stupid the moment you didn't bow in front of the yangban."
"… "
"Pangea is part of the Cho Kingdom."
"Then why are you bowing to the yangban of the Hwan Kingdom?"
"What are you saying? Isn't it natural to bow to those who serve their kingdom? Or do you not understand that because you're stupid?"
"…?"
Did the Hwan Kingdom have authority even over other kingdoms?
"It seems like Pagma was born in the Hwan Kingdom…"
Alan was slowly piecing things together. He decided not to dwell on it for now.
"Hm."
At that moment, one of the yangban in blue robes passed by Alan and gave him a meaningful smile.
The instant Alan met his gaze—
His heart trembled.
There was an unknown aura within those eyes. A sense of overwhelming authority that made his instincts react.
[You feel the urge to bow.][You resisted.][Hero King Energy has been activated in response to a powerful presence.]
Suddenly, a purplish aura erupted around Alan, shocking everyone nearby. Even several Yangbans stopped and turned to look at him. However, the disdain in their eyes remained unchanged.
Looks like I'll be fighting them sooner than I expected, Alan thought as he met their gazes.
For a few seconds, the air grew tense as their eyes locked.
Then—
One of the Yangbans suddenly vanished.
In the next instant, Alan raised his hand and grabbed the wrist of the Yangban who had appeared behind him, aiming to choke his neck.
"Oh? You blocked it?"
The Yangban looked amused rather than surprised as Alan held his wrist firmly.
But Alan was thinking something else.
Weak.
He stopped the attack effortlessly.
It seems that even though I haven't reached the Transcendent level yet, my high stats, combined with my powerful classes and skill effects, make me much stronger, Alan thought.
After all, Yangbans were considered half-gods—beings at the Transcendent level, equivalent to level 500+ enemies.
Yet—
He had just stopped one with ease.
"You're quite skilled. I might give you a chance to—"
The Yangban was still speaking—
But suddenly something hit him and then again and again.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
His body jerked violently as a barrage of punches slammed into him in an instant.
"First of Slaughter."
Alan's voice echoed coldly.
He had already released his restrictive skill. His full power surged out, and his aura intensified.
He was now at his peak.
The Yangban's expression changed for the first time.
Shock.
Then—
Impact after impact rained down.
[You have dealt 456,980 damage to the target.][Critical Hit!][You have dealt 912,440 damage to the target.][You have dealt 478,220 damage to the target.][Critical Hit!][You have dealt 1,024,880 damage to the target.][You have dealt 503,110 damage to the target.][Critical Hit!][You have dealt 989,300 damage to the target.]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The air shattered with every strike.
The Yangban couldn't even speak anymore.
His body was being pushed back, step by step, completely overwhelmed by the sheer force.
[You have dealt 467,550 damage to the target.][You have dealt 488,990 damage to the target.][Critical Hit!][You have dealt 1,103,670 damage to the target.]
The surrounding Yangbans frowned.
The final punch landed—
Boom!
The Yangban was sent flying. His body crashed into the ground, dragging across the street before slamming into the wall of a nearby shop.
"Keuk!"
He coughed up blood as he hit the wall hard.
"You… how dare you!!"
His eyes burned with rage as he rushed toward Alan again.
But Alan remained calm.
He simply drew his red sword and took his stance.
At the same time—
Madra, who usually slept inside his inventory, woke up.
Oh… finally, some worthy opponents.
For Madra, beings like these—
Powerful demigods who could one day become god slayers—
Were nothing more than proper opponents for the Undefeated King.
And Alan felt the same.
Even among the Yangbans, there were clear levels.
Only the top seven were truly powerful.
The rest—
Were nothing but arrogant fools, drunk on their lineage, never training, and never striving to grow stronger.